China's Crackdown on Religious Freedom Demands American Sanctions

U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) has published an op-ed in The Hill, advocating for strict American sanctions to hold Chinese Communist Party officials accountable for their record of brutality toward religious minorities. The op-ed comes after the largest reported crackdown on practicing Christians in China since 2018. Senator Budd argues that the U.S. cannot afford to sit idly by as China carries out a targeted campaign against religious freedom, and that sanctions are necessary to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its crimes.

Key Takeaways:

• The Chinese Communist Party has codified its war on religious freedom into law, with individuals who practice outside the five state-sanctioned religions facing life imprisonment under Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code.
• Religious minorities, including Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghur Muslims, have reportedly been victimized by forced sterilizations, sexual violence, torture, and slave labor.
• The U.S. has designated China as a country of particular concern for religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act since 1999.
• The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommends that China be designated a country of particular concern for engaging in systematic, ongoing violations of religious freedom.
• Senator Ted Budd has reintroduced the Combating the Persecution of Religious Groups in China Act to hold Chinese Communist Party officials accountable for their record of brutality toward religious minorities.
• The legislation would bolster U.S. State Department programs designed to combat religious persecution and signal strong support for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue designating China as a country of particular concern.

Statistics:

• 2018: The largest reported crackdown on practicing Christians in China occurred, with pastors and leaders from a well-known Christian house church detained on charges of "using superstitious activities to undermine the implementation of law."
• 2014: Pastor Zhang Shaojie was sentenced to 12 years in prison for "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order."
• 2007: Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri became a leader of one of China's underground churches.
• 1999: The U.S. designated China as a country of particular concern for religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act.

Sources:

• Senator Ted Budd's op-ed in The Hill, "China's crackdown on religious freedom demands American sanctions"
• The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998
• U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's recent report
• The Combating the Persecution of Religious Groups in China Act